A new week begins.
"Ah, the beauty of youth," Daniel sighed after reading the latest chapter of "Your Lie in April."
The artwork was beautiful, and the dialogue in the story was well-written. It was as if the static manga made music play in his ears.
The entangled feelings between the teenage boy and girl reminded him of his own school days.
If he had been a bit better looking and a bit more talented back then, maybe he would have had such experiences too.
"No wonder Claire is the Porter's student!" Daniel praised.
He thought that if Claire kept working hard, she might become a famous manga artist.
But right now, the most important thing was the Porter's new work!
Daniel's eyes moved to the next piece — "One Punch Man."
The title didn't sound very impressive, probably just another hero manga. But since it was the Porter's work, it surely had some redeeming qualities.
Sure enough, it started with a villain causing havoc in the city.
But why did this villain look so familiar?
Thinking hard, Daniel suddenly realized, "Isn't this the villain Number 0 from Kamen Rider Kuuga!?" Except it was turned from live-action into manga form.
Indeed, as Daniel guessed, the original design for Vaccine Man in "One Punch Man" was a tribute to Piccolo from "Dragon Ball." Since Ren hadn't drawn "Dragon Ball" in this world, he used a character from his own work. He initially considered using "Cells at Work!" but eventually chose Kamen Rider Kuuga.
"This looks intense," Daniel thought, watching Vaccine Man's destruction of the city.
The response from the authorities made it clear this villain was a big deal.
Even the heroes sent to fight him were defeated, making Daniel look forward to the upcoming battle.
After all, the initial villain's attack was beautifully drawn.
Then the scene shifted.
The TV was broadcasting news about the monster, while the bald protagonist, shown on the cover, flipped his cape and stepped out, his figure captured dramatically.
At this moment, despite the bald head, Daniel found the protagonist quite imposing.
The manga continued.
Part of the city had turned into ruins, with smoke rising.
A little girl cried in the rubble, calling for her parents.
But there was no response.
The monster, however, had reached her, its muscular hand ready to crush her.
But suddenly, a shadow flashed by, and the monster's attack missed.
Annoyed, the monster asked, "Who are you?"
"Just a hero for fun," the bald protagonist said with a slight smile.
But this front view of the protagonist made Daniel, who was drinking cola, spit it out.
"Wait, is this false advertising?" Daniel flipped back to the cover and compared it to the panel.
On the cover, the protagonist looked determined, ready to punch through the sky, bald head and all. But in this panel, he looked like a simpleton, a face fit for a side character.
And the yellow suit and dishwashing gloves added to the cheap look!
"Wait, wait!" Daniel rubbed his temples.
He started guessing.
"Maybe this isn't the protagonist! Maybe he's an important side character?" Daniel reassured himself, mumbling, "Yes, that's it! This bald guy will lose, and the real protagonist will save the day... right?"
But as he spoke, he began to doubt himself.
Typically, characters on the cover are main characters.
And the determined look when the bald guy stepped out matched the cover.
Could it be a mix-up with the drafts?
With these doubts, Daniel read on, feeling more excited.
It was battle time!
Even if the bald guy looked silly, the Porter would surely make the fight scenes amazing.
The monster transformed, growing huge and terrifying.
From its words, Daniel learned it was a vaccine creature meant to wipe out humanity.
Given its mission, it had to be powerful.
Then the unbelievable happened.
The protagonist destroyed the monster with a single punch!
Yes, one punch shattered it!
"No way, after all that buildup, it's over in one punch?" Daniel couldn't believe it.
He had been ready for an epic fight, but it ended just like that?
Frustrated, he thought, "What about the intense battle?"
Sure, the result was dramatic, but what about the process?
As Daniel vented, the scene changed.
It showed the protagonist's past.
"Strange, he was quite handsome before," Daniel noted.
He learned that the bald guy was indeed the protagonist, but why did he go bald?
This piqued Daniel's and many readers' curiosity.
They read on, discovering the protagonist had saved a child from a monster years ago, which inspired him to train rigorously.
After three years, he gained immense strength but lost all his hair...
He became stronger and bald.
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